Hello family!
As far as this week it went really well! We had some great success and we were happy as we got all of the standards for the mission for our key indicators which is like all the work we do. Ask Nate and Jason about key indicators and standards they explain more about them ha-ha. But we worked our tails off and the Lord is blessing our efforts.
As far as this week it went really well! We had some great success and we were happy as we got all of the standards for the mission for our key indicators which is like all the work we do. Ask Nate and Jason about key indicators and standards they explain more about them ha-ha. But we worked our tails off and the Lord is blessing our efforts.
Monday
we had mini zone conference and the office came with president and displayed
the vision of the month with the Olympics. We are doing our best to save souls
and to be the best that we can be. We taught a family home evening lesson Monday
night with some of the families in the ward and we are trying to teach and strengthen
each of them.
Tuesday
night we were contacting and knocking doors and we were at a street corner and
were stopped there and we were trying to decide where to go. We then decided to
go down the street and Elder Smith felt like we should stop for a second
because there some guys that he might thought were following us but they passed
by and then we were at this door and we decided to start there. We were
knocking and then no one came then Elder smith saw a lady carrying grocery bags
and he offered to carry hers and it turns out we were right in front of her
house knocking on her door. She let us in and we had a great first lesson and
she liked the message very much
On Wednesdays
we have now started to teach an English class to increase our potential
investigator pool and we had a few come on Wednesday. As news continues to get
out, it will increase.
Thursday
I went on splits with Elder Russell over in their sector (area) called Bilbao.
The district leader went with Elder smith and we were so worried because it was
just us two, who had barely been in Chile for a week and we were going to go
contacting and teach lessons. They live right in front of this huge sand dune I
feel like I´m in the Sahara but then our pension is right on the ocean at the
same time it’s a very odd place and combination. Anyway here is elder Russell
and I a duo of two newb who can barely understand Chilean we first went to
teach this guy and his wife who were referenced by a member to talk about
Christ and to strengthen their faith. However the member did not inform the
missionaries this. So we go in back for the second lesson and they just blasted
us about how this wasn’t what they expected and just rejected everything we
told them. They are very strong catholic and wouldn´t set up a return
appointment
After
that we were feeling a bit down but we kept going. Then we went to this guy
named hector and he spoke so incredibly fast and mumbled off his Chilean that
Elder Russell and I could not understand a single word he was saying. Literally
he would go off for like 10 minutes straight talking and elder Russell and I
looked at each other in complete la la land and had no idea what do to. Ha-ha
his questions went from aliens to repentance and it was nuts. But I felt like
we needed to teach him the gospel of Jesus Christ and then at the end I felt
impressed to ask him to be baptized. I had no idea what I was doing but I did
and he accepted. It was a rollercoaster of a lesson because this guy was crazy
but it ended well. After that we went and contacted that was great practice. We
taught a lesson to this girl and her kid on her front porch and then after that
we went to go do some service for a family in the ward. We moved tables and
boxes of things because there were preparing to move. They gave us a bunch of
bread to eat, which is soo good, yet it is very fattening (3 amigos) hahaha.
Friday
morning I met back up with elder smith and we did a sector attack in Bilbao.
Which is where all the elders and hermanas in the whole zone go to one area and
try to get a bunch of references and lessons to boost the sector. Bilbao is a
new sector so we did that. This area is very rich compared to other parts so
elder smith and I had a tough time getting into some people’s houses. If I got
a nickel for how many times I’ve heard soy catolica (I’m catholic) I’d be rich ha-ha.
But it’s great; we are getting into more and more houses every day. Teaching is
improving and we are getting more effective every day. Our bishop in our ward
is amazing and Friday night we went and met with him about the mission plan. When
we met with him he told us exactly who could be used for member support for
each one of investigators and that was huge for us. Saturday we passed by and
went and contacted a bunch of references. Saturday night we taught this guy
named Nicolas who is a less active member. He had some bad experiences with
members and bishops and what they have said to him. Members can destroy the
work, it is awful. Some of the people who serve in callings can be so dang
prideful that it absolutely destroys the work that we try to do. But when we
went he had this feast for us. Elder Smith and I had already been given food
from some other lessons and so we were already full and this guy had a serious
full table full of cheese, pepperoni, cookies, bread, peaches and cream, and
all sorts of stuff. We had to eat as much as I could. I thought of Jason while
eating all of the beef and cheese. mmmm it was good. But we taught him about
why it’s important that we endure to the end, this guy is a great person and
has read so many books about the church. The problem was that one elder told
him how the church really functions in North America and Utah with all of the
programs and now it’s hurt his view because the church structure is so
different and weak down here. After we talked about enduring to the end then I
talked about the blessings of the temple and how he needs to go and receive his
endowments. This guy is single and like 60 years old and could be a great
support to the ward.
Sunday
was great we had 3 investigators at church and 2 recent converts and then 7
less actives. It was great and we were all excited for the good week we had.
Rosario our Bolivian investigator came and we set a baptismal date with her for
the 25th of this month. We also taught this guy named gonzalo last night who
had questions about our church, his wife left him for a past bishop of the
church. But we taught him about the churches
central position about families and about how the atonement can heal him. He
wants to be a strong member of the church; he even said he wants to be a
bishop. Kind of odd but if he´s doing it for the right reasons to help others
and be a good person then we will take it if he is committed. Last night we
taught this lady named Pamela and she knows that everything we have taught is
true and I am thinking that she will be baptized eventually too. She has a boy
and he´s 9 years old. She loves the book of Mormon and we will meet with
her 2-3 times this week and hopefully set a baptismal date with her.
Our apartment is pretty good. It was gross at the beginning but we have cleaned it up like crazy. I´ll attach some pictures. The food is pretty good. A lot of rice, greasy meat, chicken and sometimes a good fish. The bread is great and it is really tasty. Ha-ha I try not to eat too much of it because it is so fattening. They drink so much stinking soda here it’s crazy. I carry water with me everywhere because I don’t want to rot my teeth out with soda. Ha-ha there are many people who are missing teach probably because they just rotted out. Elder smith is great. We work hard together. We walk all over the place. If you can look online the borders of our sector are downtown Iquique from Rem. El Morro to 18 de September and then from Jose m Carrera to Esmeralda. Those are the borders of the street of our sector. I have no idea how much we walk but it’s a lot. We have a court next to our apartment so we are going to buy a cheap basketball and start playing in the mornings. It takes us about 10 minutes to walk to our church so it is pretty close. I hope all is well at home. Thank you for the email. I am doing well and love this work. Truly there are miracles that happen every day. Today Elder Smith and I are going on exchanges because some of the other elders in the zone are having a tough time so we have to go help them and so I’ll be in a different part of Iquique just for tonight. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I glad to be serving him down in Chile. This work is tough, but I love it. Have a great week. Continue to press forward with faith in Christ, although I may be weak, through Him we can be made strong. 2 cor 12 9-10 and Alma 26; 12. His grace is sufficient for all of us. We just need to trust him. Love you all.
Elder Newman
Our apartment is pretty good. It was gross at the beginning but we have cleaned it up like crazy. I´ll attach some pictures. The food is pretty good. A lot of rice, greasy meat, chicken and sometimes a good fish. The bread is great and it is really tasty. Ha-ha I try not to eat too much of it because it is so fattening. They drink so much stinking soda here it’s crazy. I carry water with me everywhere because I don’t want to rot my teeth out with soda. Ha-ha there are many people who are missing teach probably because they just rotted out. Elder smith is great. We work hard together. We walk all over the place. If you can look online the borders of our sector are downtown Iquique from Rem. El Morro to 18 de September and then from Jose m Carrera to Esmeralda. Those are the borders of the street of our sector. I have no idea how much we walk but it’s a lot. We have a court next to our apartment so we are going to buy a cheap basketball and start playing in the mornings. It takes us about 10 minutes to walk to our church so it is pretty close. I hope all is well at home. Thank you for the email. I am doing well and love this work. Truly there are miracles that happen every day. Today Elder Smith and I are going on exchanges because some of the other elders in the zone are having a tough time so we have to go help them and so I’ll be in a different part of Iquique just for tonight. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I glad to be serving him down in Chile. This work is tough, but I love it. Have a great week. Continue to press forward with faith in Christ, although I may be weak, through Him we can be made strong. 2 cor 12 9-10 and Alma 26; 12. His grace is sufficient for all of us. We just need to trust him. Love you all.
Elder Newman
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